KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Discussions on the future home of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals are set to heat up next week.
Thursday night, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and legislators announced they’d reached a tentative tax bill agreement ahead of a special session called next Tuesday, June 18, in Topeka.
That special session was called to allow leaders to hash out a tax plan, but with that plan appearing to have bipartisan support, it could allow legislators another opportunity to pursue legislation geared toward putting together an incentive package to lure the Chiefs and/or Royals.
While Kansans gets its ducks in a row, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson addressed the ongoing discussions Thursday morning at an event marking the beginning of an expansion of Interstate 70 across the state.
“We’re going to be competitive,” Parson told reporters. “We’re not just going to roll over and let Kansas come in here take two major franchises out of our state without having some sort of package ourselves.”
Parson said his intention in his remaining several months in office - he is unable to seek another term in this November’s general election - “is to do everything I can to put a deal together to make sure Missouri is going to be competitive against Kansas.”
Parson said he doubted he’d call a special session on the topic, but said they’re only in the first quarter of the effort.
“Believe me, we’ll be in the game,” Parson said.
Parson’s comments echo those earlier this week by Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, who told KSHB 41’s Charlie Keegan that “everyone should calm down.”
Lucas also spoke to the issue bringing back memories of when the two states would engage in a border war of sorts, using economic incentives to draw business and other projects across state lines.
"The border war was one of the most counterproductive things this region has ever seen. Our goal long-term needs to be to grow the pie," Lucas said. “I’m competing with Milwaukee and Minneapolis, not Mission, Kansas."
The border war issue was made more likely after Jackson County voters strongly turned down a ballot question on April 2 that would have re-dedicated a 3/8 cent sales tax to help fund a new Royals ballpark in downtown KCMO and renovations to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The prospect of being part of the effort to land the Chiefs or Royals was welcomed earlier this week by Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County Mayor/CEO Tyrone Garner.
Garner made his remarks after reports surfaced that the Royals and Chiefs were monitoring their options across the state line.
"On behalf of the Unified Government...I welcome their interest in identifying appropriate partnerships and urge the Kansas Legislature to enact equitable STAR bond legislation that would put us in a strong position to bring both respected professional sports franchises to Wyandotte County," Garner said in a statement.
Earlier this month, KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan took a deeper dive on how STAR bonds work in Kansas and how they might be used to help bring the Chiefs or Royals across the state line.
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